Eagle And Vulture Fighting Over A Chamois - Bronze By Christophe Fratin (1801 - 1864)

Christophe Fratin (1801 - 1864)
Eagle and Vulture fighting over a Chamois
Bronze with brown patina
H.: 18 cm; W.: 20 cm
Stamped "FRATIN"
Circa 1850

Fratin often represented fighting and predation, through scenes of great expressiveness. In this sense, he was fully integrated into the Romantic movement. The sculptor presented his Vulture Devouring a Gazelle at the 1835 Salon with other pieces, including: the Tiger Overcoming a Young Camel, the Elephant Killing a Tiger and the Lioness Bringing Prey to Her Cubs. It was at the 1839 Salon that the artist presented his monumental group of Eagle and Vulture Fighting over prey. We can still admire it in the park of Babelsberg Castle in Potsdam. Our bronze, which is the smallest version of the group, is listed in the catalogue of the sale of the Fratin workshop in 1850 (no. 190).

Literature

– P. Kjellberg, Les bronzes du XIXe siècle : Dictionnaire des sculpteurs, Paris: Les éditions de l'amateur, 1996, p. 322.
– Catalogue of all the published and unpublished bronze models of Mr. Fratin, sale 16-18 April 1850, Me Bonnefons de Lavialle, Paris, Maulde et Renou, 1850.